OPINION

Negative publicity

Re: "Quake survival tips", (PostBag, April 4).

One may add to the "Drop, Cover and Hold On" tip for surviving earthquakes -- once the tremors subside, one should aim to get out of a building as soon as possible and seek shelter in an open space. Once the shocks have subsided, those who are indoors shouldn't stay indoors. One can only imagine how many of those workers who were trapped under the collapsed 30-storey building would still be alive had they managed to dash outside after the quake struck.

The collapse of one building that was under construction has brought us into disrepute, drawing attention towards Thailand when the 7.7 magnitude quake struck near Mandalay, about 1,400km away from Bangkok. We weren't even hit directly by the quake, as we only felt the tail-end of the quake that was centred along the Sagaing fault.

That isn't the first time Bangkok felt a quake that struck thousands of kilometres away. But because of that one collapsed building, Bangkok will be now known as a quake-prone city. That said, full credit should be given to Thailand's structural engineers, as almost all tall buildings in Bangkok remain habitable.

The focus now should be on the process of bidding for government buildings, which has triggered concerns since the quake.

Re: "Army accuses expat US scholar of lese majeste", (BP, April 5).

Before we act directly against his royal wishes, we should discuss the wisdom of our beloved national father before charging well-known American academic Paul Chambers with lèse-majesté.

As Nicolas Grossman and Dominic Faulder wrote in their palace-approved book: "Thailand's law of lèse-majesté has one very prominent critic: King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great. In 2005, [King Rama IX] used his televised birthday address to convey that: (a) 'The king is a human being and as such should be subject to criticism. (b) Charges of lèse-majesté should be dropped, those held in jail for lèse-majesté should be released, and (c) The use of the lèse-majesté law ultimately damages the monarchy.'"

Why did King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great note that our using s112 "ultimately damages the monarchy"? Does his wisdom still hold? If so, why do we insist on damaging our monarchy -- which we say we love above life itself -- time and again?

Re: "Why China's marriage crisis really matters", (Opinion, April 4).

The "marriage crisis" is the least of China's worries. A major purge of top-level officials is well underway in the country and Xi Jinping's tenure is seen as fragile.

Many Chinese are not happy with their leadership particularly members of the young generation who are depressed by the economic situation and see their future as hopeless.

Social unrest is escalating yet this unfavourable news is rarely reported by mainstream outlets. However, social media and independent journalists are doing an amazing job covering these issues. Communism is a fundamentally flawed and failed and this is producing the severe systemic problems currently facing the CCP.

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